PAUL WILLIAMS TEAMING UP WITH DEL TOROFOR STAGE MUSICAL VERSION OF 'PAN'S LABYRINTH', & ANIMATED 'DAY OF THE DEAD'Deadline's Mike Fleming Jr. posted the other day that Paul Williams has just signed on to write lyrics for a stage musical version of Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, which del Toro has been quietly working on for four years. The music is being written by Gustavo Santaolalla. "I admire and love Gustavo and Paul wrote the perfect album in Phantom Of The Paradise, which I have loved for decades," del Toro told Fleming. In 2010, Harry Knowles wrote about how one night, del Toro had spent "hours" telling Knowles why he wanted to remake Phantom Of The Paradise, which is one of his very favorite films.

Del Toro also revealed to Fleming that Santaolalla and Williams are writing songs for the animated film Day Of The Dead, which del Toro is producing for Reel FX. That project is being directed and co-written by Jorge R. Gutierrez, and will be released in the fall of 2014.

Since 2009, Williams has been working with Brian De Palma and Edward R. Pressman on a stage version of Phantom Of The Paradise, something they have taken stabs at off and on for years. De Palma and Williams had tried to get a stage version going in 1987, and in 2003, Antonio Banderas discussed the possibility of taking on the title character for a stage version. For now, however, we have the incredible film from 1974. And, of course, the Baltimore Rock Opera Society.